Allentown mayor: Owning equipment will help get golf accounting up to par

The last course pro left with a cash register and a ball dispenser.

February 06, 2002|By Daryl Nerl Of The Morning Call

When Mike Hersch left his job as head professional at Allentown Municipal Golf Course, the pro shop cash register, the driving range ball dispensing machine, the ball washer, the ball collection machine and every driving range golf ball left with him.

All of those items belonged to Hersch and under the terms of his contract with the city, he was responsible for buying and maintaining them.

The city's contract with new golf pro, Deron L. Erney, calls for the same arrangement, but on Tuesday, Mayor Roy C. Afflerbach said all of that is going to change.

Allentown will invest perhaps $15,000 in buying its own equipment that will keep the course and driving range running through leadership transitions. The driving range is closed and will remain that way until the equipment is replaced, which may not be until mid-March.

Perhaps even more importantly, it will enable the city to keep better tabs on what has been a porous accounting system at the course, which this year has been the subject of a police investigation and a proposed financial probe by City Council.

At his weekly media briefing, Afflerbach said Lehigh County District Attorney James B. Martin has brought in an accountant to review the findings gathered in an Allentown police investigation into alleged crimes at the course.

The mayor said the district attorney has again assured him that the criminal probe will be completed soon. Last week, Afflerbach asked City Council -- and council agreed -- to delay launching a course financial audit until the criminal investigation is complete.

Hersch left in November, with a year left on his contract, citing health problems. He said he was diagnosed with liver disease. With nine days left in his term, former Mayor William L. Heydt hired Erney as Hersch's replacement.

But Erney was left with a course devoid of much of the equipment it needs to function. A cigar box currently holds the course's daily receipts, said city Finance Director Barbara W. Bigelow.

She said she aims to buy the golf course a new cash register system that can link with the accounting system at City Hall, allowing for oversight of finances. Allentown police will be dispatched to the course daily to collect cash receipts and deposit them at the bank, Bigelow said.